Your favorite K-drama stars - Did you know they are best friends IRL?2016/11/09,
To talk about South Korea's celebrity best friends irl (in real life), we can't forget the famous Song Joong-ki and Lee Gwang-soo duo! Their friendship started as they appeared together in a variety show called Running Man. These same age actors, brand new to the entertainment business, quickly grew very close to each other. Soon, they even acted together in a drama "Nice Guy" as best friends in the show. Since then, their friendship passed the stage of just "best friends", they are more like brothers at this point,...More

[Interview] Lee Joon-ik with The Lady Miz Diva2016/09/17, Source,
Korean Cultural Center New York : Master Series: Lee Joon-ik
We had a very happy reunion with Director Lee Joon-ik during his visit to New York City this summer. Following his return after five years to the New York Asian Film Festival to present his latest movie, "DongJu, The Portrait of A Poet", Director Lee was given the honor of becoming the first subject of the Korean Cultural Center of New York's Master Series retrospective of his films.
I chatted with Director Lee about his cinematic successes, his disappointments, his filmmaking process and his future,...More

G-Dragon Draws Chinese Crowds to Clothing Store2016/09/07, Source,
Chinese fans of G-Dragon line up outside an 8 Seconds store in Myeong-dong, Seoul in August.
The flagship store of clothing brand 8 Seconds in Seoul's shopping district of Myeong-dong was teeming with Chinese tourists on Monday who had come all the way to buy hats and T-shirts branded boy band rapper G-Dragon,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 20 Final2016/08/23,
Myeong-hoon (played by Eom Hyo-seob) has been the main antagonist of "Doctors". His character has been so thinly drawn I've never seen much point in discussing him, although in this, the final episode, I don't really have much choice. Practically the entire runtime is dedicated to Myeong-hoon getting sick and having to beg for forgiveness from Hye-jeong, not for any tangible reason, but because being at death's door Myeong-hoon's mood has taken a turn for the repentant,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 192016/08/22,
And at last we appear to have come to the real point of "Doctors"- that Hye-jeong is beautiful and perfect and everything should go her way just because. By the end of this episode we're about as close to an absolute happy ending for everyone possible without the matter being completely improbable. All the bad people get sick, and all the sick good people are well on their way to a clean recovery. Even Seo-woo gets moved to the sympathetic column, mostly for reluctantly deciding to hate her dad,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 182016/08/22,
It remains unclear the extent to which Hye-jeong's obsession with revenge is supposed to be seen as sympathetic for not. It doesn't help that Hye-jeong manages to stupidly implicate herself almost immediately in a clear unambiguous threat. Later explained context doesn't really help the situation. Co-workers aren't supposed to use that kind of language with each other no matter how much enmity there may be,...More

Korean Star Cancels Fan Meet in China Amid THAAD Spat2016/08/19, Source,
A fan meet with actress Park Shin-hye scheduled on Sept. 10 in Shanghai has been canceled amid fears of anti-Korean sentiment amid an escalating spat over the stationing in Korea of a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery.
Beijing believes the battery is intended to keep its military might in check, and there is talk in China that the Korean Wave has turned into a "Korean Chill",...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 172016/08/15,
Right away we get a reasonably full and clear explanation of just what happened to Hye-jeong's grandmother in surgery so long ago. The outcome of this scene left me a little confused. The surgical team screwed up. That much has never been in doubt. But they reacted poorly in the face of an unanticipated situation. While such failures are bad, they're also fairly inevitable. Doctors are only human after all. This is something Hye-jeong herself knows all too well, what with being put under disciplinary review for having committed a different kind of error,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 162016/08/09,
Upon further reflection the various spotlighted patients do in fact have some relation to the personal stories of the main doctors in "Doctors". It's just hard to tell because the timing is always so disjointed, and the doctors don't show any indication that the patients' stories have relevance to their own lives until pretty much the last possible minute. I was with Hye-jeong when Ji-hong was making the big announcement. Sure, I can appreciate the thought, but from Hye-jeong's perspective it really did come out of nowhere,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 152016/08/08,
I was caught off guard this episode by the almost complete lack of discussion of Hye-jeong's parental issues. Considering the big cliffhanger last time that seemed like the main obvious direction for "Doctors" to go. But alas, even Namgoong Min doesn't get much of a sendoff. His whole conflict is solved offhandedly with Ji-hong's political powers, there's thanks and farewells, and then it's back to the usual lack of plot that so often characterizes "Doctors",...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 142016/08/02,
Min-ho (played by Jeong Hae-gyoon) is Hye-jeong's estranged father. I've never had much cause to discuss Min-ho because it's never been clear to me how important he was to Hye-jeong's story. It kind of seemed like Min-ho was just another obstacle Hye-jeong had to overcome, even though he has sympathetic character traits. Seo-woo, you may recall, has the same problem. Well, both the opening and the closing of this episode directly address the relevance of Min-ho's presence/absence in Hye-jeong's life- to powerful cathartic effect,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 122016/07/26,
After a sad, sweet scene where Ji-hong connects with his own childhood grief, it's three weeks later and as usual, nothing of substance appears to have changed. Hye-jeong and Ji-hong are still on somewhat icy terms, although they predictably come to a reconciliation by eventually talking out their problems. Considering how mild their interpersonal problems were in the first place, it's hard to get all that excited when a basic conversation is enough to smooth out the worries,...More

[Spoiler] 'Doctors' Kim Rae-won and Park Shin-hye share ardent kiss
2016/07/26, Source,
On the episode 12 of SBS Monday & Tuesday drama, Yoo Hye-jeong (Park Shin-hye) visited Hong Ji-hong (Kim Rae-won)'s house.
While Hye-jeong took Jo In-joo (Yoo Da-in), who was drunk, to her home, she ended up visiting Hong Ji-hong's house. What had happened was that Hong Ji-hong turned cold towards her when he returned three weeks later after his father's death. Yoo Hye-jeong asked Hong Ji-hong why he had not been answering any phone calls. Hong Ji-hong answered he did not know he had phone calls and he had been waiting for her,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 112016/07/25,
In-joo (played by Yoo Da-in) is Ji-hong's old friend, who can typically be relied on to show up when he's in trouble to offer herself as a marriage partner, since that solves problems for some reason. In-joo has not generally been a very relevant character, which is why I haven't discussed her up until now, but she does serve a very important role this episode. In-joo consistently acts like a doctor first and a cool person second, which in contrast to the rest of the cast, is the important priority order,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 102016/07/19,
Flashbacks sprinkled throughout this episode remind us of the difficult trials and tribulations Hye-jeong and Ji-hong wernt through back in the day that inspired them to get on to the medical career path. I find the inclusion of these flashbacks puzzling, since all they do is remind me that at one time "Doctors" was about people exceeding their own expectations to do good in the world rather than act all surly. And now the story is just a love triangle,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 92016/07/18,
Hye-jeong and Ji-hong are still cute. That's about all the depth I can get out of their relationship, unfortunately. The closest we get to dynamic story action is that Hye-jeong pulls away for the sake of investigating her grandmother's death while Ji-hong offers unconditional support. And of course they still have time to go on dates anyway. The lack of much real conflict in that regard tends to be a bit stifling. It would be nice if Hye-jeong faced some serious resistance every once in awhile,...More

A Stranger in My House! Yoo Hyeon-sook once again gets a Live-Action Drama!2016/07/16,
Image: SpottoonYoo Hyeon-sook, the Queen of Korean Dramas, will now get her third new live-action drama, inspired by her webtoon, 'A Stranger in My House', which is a completed comedy webtoon consisting of a total of 60 episodes.
Synopsis:
"Back to her hometown after her mother's death, Nari meets her new 'step' dad, who she never knew about, and he's younger than her! Things go out of hand as they start living together but with an unexpected help of her new 'dad' there develops a bond that is stronger than anything",...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 82016/07/12,
Having apparently realized that too much energy has been extended on social relationships lately, the production team dedicates much of this episode to actual doctoring. First there's the accidental crisis Hye-jeong and Soo-cheol created by failing to observe proper traffic safety precautions, then there's the more built-up storyline regarding the prospective Olympic archer. Both operations go relatively smoothly with no real hitches,...More

[Spoiler] 'Doctors' Kim Rae-won anticipates hug from Park Shin-hye, he soon gets disappointed2016/07/12, Source,
On the episode of 8 of SBS Monday & Tuesday drama, "Doctors", Hong Ji-hong (Kim Rae-won) became so happy too early when he expected a hug from Yoo Hye-jeong (Park Shin-hye).
Hong Ji-hong and Yoo Hye-jeong performed a successful surgery on Kim Soo-cheol (Ji Soo) to treat the injury from the car accident. Yoo Hye-jeong said, "I'm going to do something to you now. This is just a humanity act person to person" and then she approached Hong Ji-hong. Hong Ji-hong expected a hug from her while thinking about the hug he gave to her previously. So he was getting ready to hug her back. But Yoo Hye-jeong just straightened up the collars of Hong Ji-hong's gown,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 72016/07/11,
The opening scene for this episode depicts Hye-jeong as a child listening to a fight between her father and a woman who is either Hye-jeong's mother or her stepmother. It's unclear. While the scene is effective in establishing context for Hye-jeong's actions immediately after her kiss with Ji-hong, the lack of full context illustrates the main greater problem in "Doctors". The drama never quite gives us all the information necessary for the story to be fully satisfying,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 62016/07/05,
We get a brief glimpse of Ji-hong's deeper darker motivations in the opening set this episode. The short of it is that Ji-hong had reasons to get involved with medicine that did not involve the birthright of his adopted family. I like these moments where we see the way Ji-hong interacts with other people without it all having to tie back to Hye-jeong somehow, because they give a better sense of who Ji-hong is a person aside from just the usual charm,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 52016/07/04,
With this episode "Doctors" takes an unfortunate step towards unwanted perfection- Hye-jeong is super talented, right about everything, and only ever faces resistance by mean-spirited people who are either outright evil or secretly harbor a romantic crush. We're at the point where Hye-jeong's only conceivable flaw appears to be that she's too awesome. What happened to the bitter jerk from the first episode who engaged in petty shoplifting just for the fun of it?,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 42016/06/28,
Upon closer examination, it turns out that Hye-jeong has gotten a tad bitter over the timeskip. Her temperament is as bad as it ever was, but now she has the excuse of being a medical professional. It's one thing for Hye-jeong to mouth off against belligerent gangsters. Fellow doctors are a different matter. Yoon-do (played by Yoon Gyoon-sang) is clearly doing the best he can, and it's not fair for Hye-jeong to have such a huge superiority complex,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 32016/06/27,
Upon further consideration Ji-hong is...really not a very good teacher. Sure, he's cool and hip. But the man's advice is frequently filled with mutually incompatible platitudes rather than anything useful. Most importantly, though, Ji-hong is really bad when it comes to the idea of taking responsibility. Most of his screentime here is spent trying to obfuscate or avoid acknowledging any kind of personal error. That's not setting a good example, although fortunately the female characters in "Doctors" are able to manage all right on their own,...More

Song Joong-ki in first place for 5 months in a row2016/06/27, Source,
Song Joog-ki is in the lead for brand reputation for 5 months in a row.
According to brand reputation for advertisement models, Song Joong-ki came in 1st, Park Shin-hye 2nd and Taeyeon 3rd.
The Korean Business and Reputation Research Institute measured consumers' brand participation and communication by analyzing 41,004,104 big data of 20 advertisement models from the 24th of May 2016 to 25th of June 2016,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 22016/06/21,
As the first episode showed us who Hye-jeong was as a person, the second episode gives a powerful hint of who she could be, and what Hye-jeong is capable of given a genuine crisis situation. The entire medical emergency is tense and Hye-jeong, unrattled as she is thanks to her tough girl demeanor, quickly proves a worthy nurse to Ji-hong's medical administration. Ah, but the title of this drama is not "Nurses". but "Doctors", so Hye-jeong needs to get to work studying,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Doctors" Episode 12016/06/20,
Hye-jeong (played by Park Sin-hye) is a doctor who plays by the rules, which she enforces violently when necessary. Right away "Doctors" makes a point of messing around with expectations. Watching the first scene I could visualize director Oh Choong-hwan and writer Ha Myeong-hee in a room together, coming up with new unusual ways to make Park Sin-hye surprising. Let's make her look old. Also let's make her a juveile delinquent, with action scenes. And most importantly of all, let's make her love interest Ji-hong (played by Kim Rae-won) an antagonistic presence,...More

[Orion's Drama News] Auditions and Conflicting Illusions2016/05/14,
Some new dramas are or will shortly be available to us and the next batch of upcoming ones is in the making. Aside from the usual role confirmations, rejections and possibilities, it has been a relatively quiet week in Dramaland. Today I speak about a few noteworthy developments and my followed dramas, a section which I have been neglecting a bit,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Entertainers" Episode 72016/05/11,
The dark truth that connects the unfortunate young people in "Entertainer" is twisted by lies as those involved try to prevent it from surfacing, and wrecking havoc on their lives and careers. This truth may not be as riveting to viewers as it is to the characters as ratings came in lower this week at 7.8%. Whatever the reasons may be, the undercurrent of tension caused by the buried sexual assault scandal is palpable. This doesn't stop the Entertainer band family from growing closer and from opening up to each other. Now that we know the backstories of our main characters, the rest of the band is getting a little spotlight,...More

[Photos] Park Shin-hye's outdoor look2016/05/03, Source, Park Shin-hye has been modeling for Millet for 3 years in a row now and her 2016 S/S collection is out. She's been the face of Millet since 2014 and it was quite unusual at the time as outdoor apparels are usually modeled by male stars rather than female stars.
This recent collection has various images of Park Shin-hye in it. The staff who were with Park Shin-hye say they were impressed at the way she tried to make a single item look different by posing in different manners,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Entertainers" Episode 32016/04/27,
As with all of the strongest dramas, "Entertainers" has begun to put together the one thing that always grabs at hearts and convinces the viewer to invest into it. It has created a family, a band family. A group of hurting misfits band together (pun intended) for the love of music, and will most certainly learn to love each other. Even ruthless Seok-ho is starting to show his gooey center. Perhaps that is helping the climbing rating - a 7.2%. While Seok-ho endeavors to pick his life and career up off of the ground, so do Ha-neul, Kyle (Gong Myeong), and Green,...More

[Orion's Drama News] Powerhouse Pairings and Another Exclusive2016/04/02,
Spring is fun, but summer is winking at us and throwing popular pairings at our faces. We are paying attention, summer. Join me as I give you some pretty exciting casting news, more upcoming drama goodies and ramblings. Also, Jasper Cho! No, I cannot actually give him to you, but you could have your question answered by him in our upcoming exclusive interview,...More

Park Shin-hye to star in "Doctors"?2016/03/03, Source,
Actress Park Shin-hye hasn't decided whether or not she's starring in the new SBS drama "Doctors".
Her entertainment claims she was offered a role but hasn't come to a conclusion. There is still a lot of time before the drama starts so she's going over the terms and conditions,...More

[Spottoon Review] Shall We Have Dinner Tonight? Drama Dream Cast 2016/01/30,
There have been rumors since last year that the webtoon Shall We Have Dinner Tonight? by See-In Park will be made into a drama. It makes complete sense since the story combines love and food in a thoughtful way that is bound to grab viewers. There hasn't been any significant casting news of late but we can't help but wonder who might bring these characters to life.
The story is about two strangers named Doe-Hee and Hae-Kyung who become friends after being mistaken for a couple at a restaurant they both chose to dine alone in one night,...More

Kang Ji-yeong VS Park Shin-hye in black midi-skirts 2015/12/15, Source,
Even high school students make mini-skirts out of their midi-skirt uniforms but there's nothing like a midi-skirt if your want to look feminine and gentle.
Midi-skirts are great for the 'granny look' or wear them tight to seem sexier. Several stars have been appearing in public events wearing midi-skirts,...More

[HanCinema's Korea Joa] The Seoul of Korean Drama2015/12/12,
Seoul is the capital of South Korea and the home of a rich, thriving, and vibrant culture. It is the home of many artistic innovations. With a population of nearly twenty-six million and as the location of the fastest internet connections, top-ranked transportation systems, and ground-breaking technological innovations, it's no wonder that Seoul is also the home of many favorite drama locations. It is so diverse that it can support plots of an array of time periods, disparate industries and environments, and house the companies that provide funding, talent agencies, and filming facilities,...More

[Funcurve Review] "Pinocchio"2015/10/31,
Lie Detectors
"Pinocchio"'s got all the right ingredients for a promising Korean drama: a novel disorder that can naturally create conflicts, a cast of eye-candy actors who can actually act, and a classic revenge theme. At first glance, the drama seems to be centered around answering one key question that we're all dying to know: can someone with Pinocchio Syndrome (telling lies causes hiccups) live normally in a world where deception is common,...More

[HanCinema's Film Review] "Beauty Inside"2015/09/05,
Woo-jin (voiced by Yoo Yeon-seok) is a man with a unique problem- every time he wakes up in the morning, Woo-jin is an entirely new person. Young, old, man, woman, beautiful, ugly, Korean, foreigner. To some extent there are advantages to this. We see early on that whenever Woo-jin hits the sweet spot of young / man / beautiful / Korean, he goes out with his buddy Sang-baek (played by Lee Dong-hwi) to hit the bars and get laid. One night stands are quite easy when a changing face makes it quite literally impossible for any woman to ever have any hope of finding him again,...More

[Photos] Park Shin-hye steals hearts with her loveliness in Taiwan2015/08/17, Source,
Hallyu Goddess Park Shin-hye melted hearts with her loveliness in Taiwan. She spent two hours with her Taiwanese fans laughing, hugging and singing at her exclusive fan meeting. Park Shin-hye in the pictures is smiling ever so brightly at her fans. She's currently on tour as '2015 Dream of Angel' for the third year and this was her second visit to Taiwan. The fan meeting was held on the 16th of August where she sang a total of about 6 songs and related with the fans,...More

Park Shin-hye's shining beauty2015/08/04, Source, Park Shin-hye posted pictures on her Instagram saying, "My room smells lovely".
In the pictures, she's looking the presents she'd received but what stands out is her beauty. Another picture shows Park holding a necklace in one hand and covering her face with the other,...More

Park Shin-hye in Europe for vacation2015/07/07, Source, Actress Park Shin-hye is on vacation. She's on a backpacking adventure in Europe. She's gone for a month and is 'healing' through this break. She's been exhausted for the past 2 years without a break.
Park Shin-hye is coming back early August and is going to prepare to go back to school. She's currently attending the Jungang University Department of Theater for 7 years. She's on leave from school at the moment but she's always shown determination to learn more,...More

The uprising of actresses older than their counterpart actor in recent dramas2015/07/02, Source,
Dramas are full of couples where the female is older than the male. The percentage of this case has grown over the last 2~3 years and it's become a boom lately. This reflects the social change but a lack of 'variety in age range' is also seen as a cause for this.
There are currently 3~4 dramas that have 'older couples'. It's becoming a trend for mini series that represent each broadcasting station,...More

Park Shin-hye, a dutiful daughter
2015/06/15, Source,
The June 15th episode of tvN's 'Name List' revealed a list of "Stars who made their families prosperous".
Park Shin-hye was ranked seventh. Her side as a dutiful daughter was previously revealed when she appeared in an episode of 'Three Meals A Day – Jeongseon'. She in fact showed off how great she was at grilling lamb intestines so tastefully. She is well-known for helping her parents at their restaurant specializing in lamb intestine dishes. She also set up the restaurant with her own fund that she worked hard to save for the last 10 years,...More

Jang Geun-seok opens and Kim Sae-ron closes2015/05/18, Source, The definition of a family tree is a book that has down the blood and history of a family since the time of our ancestors. In other words, it's what we call those who have walked the same path for a long time. There's a family tree in children actors too. There are some stars looking towards their 30s that used to memorize lines as a child. The first generation of 'child actors and actresses' are Jang Geun-seok and Moon Geun-young.
The first generation that became Hallyu stars,...More

Park Shin-hye's early morning look2015/03/27, Source, Park Shin-hye still looks beautiful and innocent early in the morning.
Park Shin-hye posted a photo on her Instagram on March 27th along with a caption, "Feeling messy, where am I and who am I. Not still awake yet. Warning: ugly pic ahead. Departing to China. I'll be back. See you in Shanghai!,...More

Lee Min-ho's handsome picture2015/03/19, Source, At Star 1 took pictures of stars congratulating it on its 3rd year anniversary.
At Star 1 revealed picturea of the actress and many more on its Facebook saying, "3rd year anniversary relays!",...More

Park Shin-hye goes to ballet school
2015/02/26, Source,
On February 26th, Park Shin-hye posted her photo on Instagram along with a comment, "It's already my third year with my Body Design instructor Kim Yoon-ah at school near Seoul University entrance. Skipping classes every day, I'm a delinquent. Kekeke.. Since the drama completed, let's start again..!!".
In the image, Park Shin-hye in black ballet suit looks concentrated on her ballet movements. With the ballet movement, she looks like such a pro surprisingly,...More

[Photos] Park Shin-hye's B grade cuts from Thailand2015/02/12, Source, Park Shin-hye has been chosen as the cover model of Ceci March issue in Korea, China and Thailand. She departed to Thailand for the photo shoot and modeled herself in striking colors. The pictures were uploaded on Ceci's official Instagram.
Ever since she held the first Asia tour as a Korean actress in 2013, she's been having them annually and proven her status as a Hallyu actress. The concept with Ceci in Kochang, Thailand is a lovable, yet mature one,...More

Graduation, relationship and marriage: Park Shin-hye's 20s report2015/02/09, Source, 'A successful actress since she was a child', 'One of the leading actresses in her 20s', 'Hallyu actress' and such are all modifiers for Park Shin-hye. If someone asked about her, the answer would be, 'a bright 26-year-old whose job is a celebrity'.
She's as normal as worrying about her school papers and dreaming of getting married one day. Ironically, the regularity of this actress is what makes her stand out in the world of showbiz,...More

Bonuses paid for movie success VS production cost shackles2015/02/03, Source, The bonus amount that an actor earns for a successful box office hit is more than a billion won.
The benefit of a booming movie market for three years in a row is going to the actors. It is the result of the contribution and role of an actor that decides the success of the movie but some days it's too much,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 202015/01/15,
The last case comes to a lightning fast conclusion- no surprises there, given that all the reporting in "Pinocchio" has been marked by sudden resolutions. Although it does help to underscore just how long it took for the final plot thread to be wrapped up. Still, if the cliffhanger represented excellent use of In-ha, the opening here makes a similar dramatic statement using Dal-po's own character traits. Simultaneously we can see how his confrontation is both revenge for the past as well as poetic justice by giving Ro-sa the chance to resolve matters in a way that doesn't destroy her family,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 182015/01/14,
We open up with the conversation between Dal-po and Cha-ok, emphasizing the latter's final sense of emotional frustration at having let herself get embroiled in such corruption. The end of the episode is...more or less the same thing, actually, although relatively little of the middle portions really have much to do with Cha-ok. "Pinocchio" appears to be stalling for time, given that at this point it shouldn't really take much for the storyline to resolve,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 192015/01/14,
The creative decision to keep Beom-jo's thought process in the dark is a bit of a questionable one here, since the cliffhanger only has emotional urgency provided you have a big emotional attachment to his character. It's been a common problem lately, "Pinocchio" spreading too much of its characters around and just being overly balanced in their exposure. Admittedly, my estimation of the cliffhanger went up a bit when I realized the significance of using In-ha to deliver the message,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 172015/01/08,
In-ha and Beom-ho end up deciding on confronting their parents with the evidence amassed. Beom-ho quickly tires of his ethical discussion, though it remains unclear what moral lesson he actually took from his mother's rationalizations. In-ha, by contrast, learns a significant bit of backstory along with Cha-ok's usual utilitarian arguments. The most interesting character ends up being the one about which we don't actually know very much- Dal-pyeong, In-ha's father,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 162015/01/07,
The first portion of the episode starts out with some romantic comedy- not any real discussion of the actual plot at all, just Dal-po and In-ha getting involved in a classic genre set-up designed for humor. Good use is made of the hiccups. Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye really are cute together whenever the script calls for it. The entire bit is really more a scene of extended fanservice than anything else but a little light humor is always welcome. Especially when the situation will inevitably get worse,...More

[HanCinema's Film Review] "The Royal Tailor"2015/01/03,
Dol-seok (played by Han Seok-Kyu) makes fancy clothes for royalty, having risen up in the proper way, through official connections. Up-and-coming talent Gong-jin (played by Ko Soo) is more crude, using clever advertising schemes to showcase the popularity of his product. Gong-jin gets his chance to break into the big leagues when the Queen (played by Park Shin-hye) has to look for support outside of official channels,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 152015/01/01,
This episode takes the form of a mostly dry investigative procedural, as the characters take different approaches to uncover the inaccuracies in Cha-ok's reporting. By the end we've mostly arrived in a pretty neat place- the inconsistency has been uncovered. While in the short term this most likely exonerates Chan-soo, more open questions like what actually caused the fire in the first place remain open, and will probably be pursued later on,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 142014/12/25,
While I can appreciate the effort "Pinocchio" makes here in trying to expose corporate malfeasance, the current plot hook really only feels tangentially related to plausible journalism. Beom-jo doing a news story about his mother's company is...well, the guy really should have either been recused or not called up for the assignment at all. His very presence on the scene is a pretty harsh indictment of the journalistic integrity of his company,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 132014/12/24,
The situation with Chae-ok resolves a bit quicker than I was expecting. Unfortunately. The main interesting plot thread of "Pinocchio" right now is the long term situation regarding revenge via journalism. It's a pretty big step down to go from an actual possible case of ruined journalistic integrity to a rather goofy seasonal plotline regarding a Santa gone bad. And why exactly did In-ha provoke him in the first place anyway?,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 122014/12/18,
Like the last big news story featured in "Pinocchio", this one is over in the blink of an eye. I don't know why I was expecting Jae-myeong's plan to be something more complicated- what we get instead is astonishingly simple and elegant, and captures the exact sense of narrative cohesion I was looking for. Jae-myeong and Ha-myeong fight back against journalism by turning the power of the press directly against Cha-ok. Now she's the one with a lot to answer for against a basically cruel and hostile audience,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 112014/12/17,
The pacing continues to be slow here. We still don't find out what Jae-myeong's plan actually is- mostly to drive up interest for the next episode, where it should be displayed in full, clear detail. For the most part this is just a negotiation- Jae-myeong tries to convince Dal-po that they need to follow through on revenge, however unpleasant the prospect may be. Well, technically he's trying to convince Ha-myeong. Therein lies the conflict. To which name does our character owe more loyalty- Dal-po or Ha-myeong?,...More

Hallyu's two face in China?2014/12/14, Source,
50 million, 120 million and 200 million won per episode; this is the cost of the Korean drama publication rights in China.
The entertainment industry is smiling at the breeze of Hallyu in China. The enormous Chinese market is no doubt an attraction compared to the limited Korean market.
The more Hallyu enters the Chinese market, the dependence on Chinese capital is rising. When the breeze turns into a chilling wind, no one will know how the situation will turn out,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 102014/12/11,
In terms of narrative structure this episode is mostly identical to the last one. There's little in the way of actual storyline movement except for the sudden surprising revelation at the end. Instead, we have character reactions to an as-yet mostly static situation. Mostly from In-ha, who is not at all happy with what her mother did to Dal-po. Although the question does come to mind- would she be as angry about this if Cha-ok had just destroyed a random family, rather than the one of someone In-ha cares about personally?,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 92014/12/10,
Jae-myeong is a hero. But you may note that almost none of the characters we see celebrating in the early portions of the episode are happy because a young boy was saved. No, they're happy because this is a huge news story, and the entire incident was caught on camera. Even in positive moments like this "Pinocchio" revels in showing off the darker parts of news journalism. It seems to force people into thinking selfishly, even if normally they're perfectly ethical individuals,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 82014/12/04,
The love story in "Pinocchio" is all right. Lee Jong-suk and Park Sin-hye have good chemistry together. I kind of have to remind myself of this sometimes, because the overall story is so tangentially related to the romance that it's easy to forget. To the credit of the production team, the whole scene in the street with all the snow, and the actual argument of what the relationship of the main two characters is? Pretty spectacular looking,...More

Park Shin-hye Gets 7 Million Weibo Followers2014/12/04, Source,
Actress Park Shin-hye has gained over 7 million Weibo followers, making her the first Korean actress to reach that number as her popularity continues to grow in China. Her latest TV series "Pinocchio" has been a hit in China, with more than 170 million views on China's Youku video sharing site after just six episodes,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 72014/12/03,
Incredibly, after an entire episode of intense investigation, trickery, and hypothesizing, the entire news report that the characters have been battling over is resolved within the course of just a few minutes. Such is the nature of news broadcasting. So much effort put into a short story that may reach a huge population. And yet most of those people probably won't even remember the broadcast in a few days. And as for the ones that will...well...,...More

3rd DramaFever Awards to take place on Feb. 5 at Hudson Theater in NYC2014/12/03, Source,
Fans to pick international tv favorites at the 3rd annual DramaFever awards presented by Toyota Online Voting Now Open With Winners – including in Seven New Categories - to be Unveiled February 5 at Hudson Theater Event in New York City The 3rd Annual DramaFever Awards presented by Toyota will take place at the Hudson Theater at the Millennium Broadway Hotel amidst the bright lights of New York City's Times Square on Thursday, February 5th 2015,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 62014/11/27,
While Jae-myeong lurks somewhat ominously in the background, for the foreseeable future it looks like the drama's just going to be team In-ha and team Dal-po working against each other to get to the bottom of mysteries. It should be note, of course, that none of our main characters are actually detectives. So even if "Pinocchio" seems to have the appearance of a police procedural, by the end it's quite clear that their motivation is something else entirely. If we do get an explanation of what actually happened in the big scoop this week, that discovery will mostly be incidental,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 52014/11/26,
The cliffhanger last episode has forced a split between Dal-po and In-ha. It's a weirdly amicable split though. Yes, In-ha is pretty upset about Dal-po's ruining her dream for no apparent reason, but even then her frustrations are played for comedy rather than tragedy. The implication is that In-ha realizes her condition makes reporting impractical, and if even Dal-po agrees with that statement, then there simply isn't any hope for her dream at all,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 42014/11/20,
Having thoroughly established what it means to be a bad parent, this time "Pinocchio" works out what it means to be a good parent. Dal-po and In-ha may be adults, but they're still living at home, and this crazy idea of becoming reporters is a bit hard to reconcile with what their fathers expect from them. Or is it? While the turnabout here is technically surprising from the perspective of our leads, in broad perspective it's not all that difficult to see at all. Parents don't exist to be pleased by their children. They're their to help their kids out, and that's exactly what happens here,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 32014/11/19,
The theme this episode is how to deal with the shattering of obviously hopeless dreams. The opening doesn't even have any real tension. We know that Dal-po is dreaming, he knows that he's dreaming, but gosh, wouldn't it just be wonderful if the first two episodes were only a mere hallucination? Unfortunately that's simply not how it works. And ultimately it's In-ha that bears the brunt of that, as she convinces herself that Cha-ok really is a loving mother who's been out of contact for justifiable work reasons,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 22014/11/13,
Right after snapping back to the quiz show it's straight into another flashback- but don't worry, this one only goes back into recent history and deals exclusively with the adult cast, even if they're all garbed in high school uniforms. Dal-po is a bit of a lazy slob- or so it seems. Frequently this episode we get a good look at the young man's keen deductive mind. The way he's easily able to size up even faraway situations somewhat strains belief- but again, I'm willing to give "Pinocchio" leeway in this department since the contrivance matches up with the greater themes,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 12014/11/12,
Dal-po (played by Lee Jong-suk) is doing a TV quiz show in the present day. No, wait, sorry, about a decade ago. As of the first episode we still haven't made it to the actual plot yet. It's all just background, most of which takes place in another flashback, where young Dal-po (played by Nam Da-reum) experiences increasingly extreme melodramatic tragedies. At several points I wondered whether these flashbacks would have gone down better later on in the drama- that's a heck of a way to start a story out, with an extreme emphasis on overwrought desolation,...More

"Pinocchio", will it succeed?2014/09/28, Source,
Another drama based on the media has yet to come.
Media-based dramas aren't a preferable kind since their track record hasn't been a successful one,...More

Park Shin-hye mesmerizes fans2014/09/21, Source,
Actress Park Shin-hye revealed a picture she took with her Thai fans.
On the 22nd, she tweeted, "I am returning to Korea from Thailand. I appreciate the good memories my Thai fans have given me. Thank you for being at the airport. I couldn't even say goodbye properly",...More

Digital Video Network DramaFever Celebrates Fifth Anniversary with Exclusive Fall Premieres2014/09/19, Source,
Hefty Line-up of the Hottest New Asian Series Includes Romance, High School and Period Dramas – Made Available for the First Time in the U.S. with English Subtitles and within 24 Hours of their International TV Premieres
DramaFever (www.dramafever.com), the top online video destination for international TV series and movies, today announced a fall lineup that includes four exclusive premieres along with a large crop of other highly anticipated Asian drama series. All will premiere on DramaFever within 24 hours of the original international airings, and with professional subtitles,...More

Park Shin-hye's latest fan meeting2014/07/15, Source,
Actress Park Shin-hye had a fan meeting in the raging heat.
According to Salt Entertainment, Park Shin-hye met with her fans at the Seongdong-gu E-Mart on the 15th, along with the brand Median, a dental beauty care brand she is modeling for in order to promote healthy white teeth and the importance of dental care,...More

Park Shin-hye shooting music video "My Dear"2014/06/11, Source, Park Shin-hye tweeted a picture on the 11th saying, "One afternoon with Geum Eun-hwa. It was awkward holding a guitar, but I tried my best. Now that it's raining, I hope you listen to the song and have nice dreams~good night!"
The picture of Park Shin-hye shows her riding a bike with a guitar on her back. "My Dear" is composed by Park Sin-won, her brother, and is written by the both of them. Park Sin-won played the guitar and features Yong Joon-hyung from Beast, in the song,...More

Park Shin-hye's voting stamp on her hand2014/06/04, Source, Park Shin-hye proved she voted.
She Tweeted on the 4th of June, "The rain has gone and the skies are getting brighter. I voted after lunch. There isn't much time left. Let's vote everyone! What one can't do alone will be possible if we all come together",...More

Park Shin-hye on vacation in NY2014/05/18, Source, Park Shin-hye was seen on S.A.L.T Entertainment Twitter, walking the streets of New York.
She's wearing sunglasses that doesn't cover her beauty and is wearing stylish clothes, allowing her to blend in like a real New Yorker,...More

Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye, to cancel or not?2014/04/17, Source,
Actor Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye were to attend the Hallyu Star Family Concert in the Olympic Stadium on the 18th. However, several stars appearing in the concert including the two of them have requested to postpone the event to mourn for the tragic incident that happened on the 16th.
However, Lotte Duty Free is saying that won't be possible. The concert with domestic fans on the 19th and 20th have been postponed but the one on the 18th with 12,000 international fans will go on as usual,...More

Lee Seung-hwan mentions Park Shin-hye2014/03/26, Source,
Lee Seung-hwan who recently came out with his 11th album "Fall To Fly", spoke about Park Shin-hye who used to belong to Dream Factory.
He said, "It was God's will when I let her go without any conditions. I told her once that she wouldn't go far at Dream Factory",...More

Park Shin-hye in the Gwanak Mountains2014/03/16, Source, Park Shin-hye was seen at Mt. Gwanak.
She posted on her Twitter on the 16th, "I am climbing Mountain Gwanak with Se-mi! The weather's nice and there are many people here. It was hard climbing up but I feel great. Have a great weekend everyone",...More

[HanCinema's Film Review] "Cyrano Agency"2014/03/15,
Byeong-hoon (played by Eom Tae-woong) has a simple mission in life. Help the lovelorn get dates by staging meet cute romantic comedy sequences, all for the sake of giving those poor lonely souls the courage to speak up to the objects of their amor. All sorts of narrative flourishes are necessary to make these schemes work, and strangely, they all feel totally necessary. Apparently it's easier to convince a guy to challenge an authority figure in a giant crowded room full of people than it is to just get him to say "I Like You" to the woman he likes.
Yes, romance can be a terrifying thing,...More

Park Shin-hye, a university student2014/03/11, Source,
Actress Park Shin-hye conveyed her thoughts about the starting of the new school term.
Park Shin-hye posted on her Twitter, "The weather is so good! This is a day for hiking but I am only there by heart. The reality is that I am at school and I am feeling the life of a university student who has classes back to back",...More

[HanCinema's Afterwords] KOFIC Podcast Review - Ep. 42014/01/11, In this Episode: Pierce gives us a news roundup and has a chat to independent film actress Kim Kkobbi…
KOFIC recently launched "Korean Cinema Today", a bimonthly podcast that's all about the wonderful world of Korean cinema. Hosted by Pierce Conran, the show features the latest Korean cinema news, features, discussions, and interviews with special guests from the industry.
This episode of KOFIC's Korean Cinema Today was divided into two segments, the first has Pierce discussing some Korean film news, and the second features an interview with actress Kim Kkobbi ("Breathless", "Pluto"). The first segment seems to be from last year and mentions the box office figures from the last week of December; but Pierce also highlights a few Korean news items that are worth mentioning again,...More

[HanCinema's Year in Review] Raine's Top Six Picks of 20132014/01/04,
It is the end of another year in K-dramaland and time to look back and count how many hours I spent watching dramas, running my drama blog, and working on drama-related projects. Since I watched twenty-eight 2013 dramas, recapped three and reviewed nine, and delved into past dramas, that would give me a total of,...More

[HanCinema's Afterwords] KOFIC Podcast Review - Special Episode2014/01/04, In this Episode: Korean Cinema in 2013…
KOFIC recently launched "Korean Cinema Today", a bimonthly podcast that's all about the wonderful world of Korean cinema. Hosted by Pierce Conran, the show features the latest Korean cinema news, features, discussions, and interviews with special guests from the industry. In this special episode, Pierce has Darcy Paquet in studio to talk about the past year's big features, their top 5 films of the year, industry trends, as well as mention some of the big period films coming our way in 2014.
"Korean Cinema Today" is only four episodes in, and so while they are still finding their feet, the show is shaping up to be another fantastic new initiative by KOFIC. The show is hosted by Pierce Conran (editor of Modern Korean Cinema, Twitch Korean film correspondent, and writer for the Korean Film Council) and thus far he has already had interviews with Kwak Gyeong-taek ("Friend 2"), Lee Cheol-ha ("Hello Orchestra"), and has Darcy Paquet (one of Korea's leading and dedicated film critics) on the show to talk about 2003 (a landmark year for Korean cinema). In this special episode Darcy joins Pierce once again to discuss the incredible year that was 2013,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 20 Final2013/12/12,
I don't think I've ever been this frustrated by a happy ending before. A certain amount of schmaltz and contrivance is appropriate to get a story to end on a positive note, sure. But nearly every single conflict solved here quite literally appeared only one episode ago. And even in those cases where there was a bit more foreshadowing, we're talking extremely brief glimpses from several episodes ago.
The most annoying part about is that Kim Tan, our alleged main character, barely has anything to do with any of this. Yes, as usual, the scenes about the love story between him and Eun-Sang predominate,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 192013/12/11,
There's lot of cuteness here as we get a bright cheery look at Kim Tan's birthday party, where all his friends have shown up and are having a gay old time taking pictures and doing basic teen stuff. Even the abrupt ending of Kim Tan confronting his father with Eun-Sang in tow is pretty fun. When the drama loses its pretensions and just lets its teen characters act like real teenagers, it can be fairly successful as light entertainment.
However, the more of this cute stuff that we see, the more the question comes up of how appropriate it is for the only apparent conflict in this drama to be deflated so close to the end,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 182013/12/05,
It would seem that the immense effort tha previous episode made to convince the viewer that yes, the Kim Tan / Eun-Sang separation really is serious this time, was actually just an elaborate trick so that the drama could do the same plot, again, without it feeling too repetitive. I have to admit that it worked- there simply isn't enough time left at this point for "The Heirs" to try and stir up drama by separating them again. And I did have that brief optimism, for one episode.
But that's pretty much entirely gone now. This episode is immensely exhausting in the way it just keeps going on and on about the Kim Tan / Eun-Sang connection, wringing its hands about awful the situation is, until finally we get to a climatic moment where they finally resolve to do something to finish off the drama's issues once and for all,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 172013/12/04,
Most of the episode's runtime is dedicated to searching and pining about Eun-Sang. Surprisingly, it doesn't actually take that long for anyone to find her. The main conflict ends up being, all right, provided that we know where Eun-Sang is, then what? The barriers preventing her from getting together with Kim Tan are, as has been thoroughly noted, a lot more dense and problematic than just her staying in a different physical location.
Unfortunately there isn't really much going on here in the way of attacking those barriers. Personally, I have no big stake in Kim Tan and Eun-Sang getting back together soon, or even at all,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 162013/11/28,
While the romantic storyline in this drama is fairly repetitive, I have to give it credit for managing to pull a fast one. Eun-Sang has been doing the pouty face thing for so long it genuinely didn't even occur to me that there was something more to it this time. In one sense, the episode really just repeats its own plot all over again- but thanks to the changed context and the way Kim Tan is typically the focus character, the ending manages to sneak in very effectively.
The corporate intrigue plotline manages to sputter out with comically little fanfare. We get a clear sense that, in the end, the balance of power really is pretty horribly one-sided,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 152013/11/27,
I really don't like Kim Woo-bin's new haircut. The one he had before was really slick and sharp- it showed off the rough, smart edges of Yeong-Do, and the way it played off of his eyebrows was just great. But this new haircut is almost exactly the same as Lee Min-ho's, and while that kind of hair works for members of the Kim family, it lacks the sneaky smugness that the character of Yeong-Do really needs. It's also slightly confusing having so many unrelated cast members with similarproblems. In a me-looking hair.
Anyway, aside from the hair, there's some still some good stuff here. The episode starts out the same place we left off at the party, and we almost immediately delve into a hilarious bit of tit-for-tat,...More

"The Heirs" napping
2013/11/25, Source,
The cast of "The Heirs" are struggling with sleep.
Images of the cast trying to make most of their 5 minutes of shut eye to re-energize themselves, were revealed on the 26th of November,...More

"The Heirs" Lee Min-ho's gluttony2013/11/24, Source, Lee Min-ho awed people with his gluttony as Kim Tan from the SBS drama "The Heirs" who was trying to resolve all misunderstandings and conflicts.
On the thirteenth episode of "The Heirs" Kim Tan revealed to his fiancé Rachel Yoo (Kim Ji-won) and her family that he was the son of a concubine and was driven out of the house my his father Kim Nam-yoon (Jeong Dong-hwan) without a penny. He went to his brother Kim Won's (Choi Jin-hyeok) house. He pretended to be bright and cheerful and started eating as he said, "I was hit by father. He didn't say anything when I packed but just chased me out without any money. Is it because I'm the son of a concubine? I feel pretty sad",...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 142013/11/21,
The ostentatious displays by our lead characters have managed to get really nauseating. I knew when I started watching "The Heirs" that this was going to be a drama about the extremely rich and well-connected. What I liked about the early episodes was that there was this clear indication that being rich and well-connected is not necessarily a good thing for a person with lousy emotional attachments. The picturesque cityscape of beautiful Los Angeles was consistently tempered by the dark side of life there,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 132013/11/20,
It's pretty inescapable at this point that, if one were to describe the things that Kim Tan does to a neutral observer, he would come off as a really awful person. Technically speaking I don't think he actually breaks into the apartment, but the very fact that he takes Eun-Sang there alone against her usual resistance, coupled with his subsequent actions, make it difficult to play any of this off in a sympathetic light. Granted, he acted the same back in Los Angeles- but that was when I thought these were characater flaws he was going to overcome,...More

"The Heirs" Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye hug2013/11/19, Source,
The episode of "The Heirs" on the 20th, Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye) walks towards Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) who is crying without a word, staring at her, and hugs him by the neck. She couldn't stand watching him cry like that, looking at her so sadly and pushed herself close to him into a hug.
This scene was taken on the 11th in Seoul. It was taken for 3 hours in the cold and hearted up the atmosphere. Park Shin-hye lifted the back of her feet to reach for Lee Min-ho's tall height and he stiffened slightly for a second before, hugging her tightly back,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 122013/11/14,
The mixed metaphors this drama is putting out are starting to give me a headache. We're still doing the whole will-they-or-won't they thing with Kim Tan and Eun-Sang, and on a literal level, the drama seems to be making the statement that they should totally be together. We didn't even get a single episode of full separation out of the cliffhanger from last time and already we're back to teary romantic stuff.
But let's pivot around and look at the main subplot this episode, where big bro Kim Won ends up getting in trouble with their dad Nam-Yoon about a situation that is, in many ways, almost identical to the relationship between Kim Tan and Eun-Sang,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 112013/11/13,
Yeong-Do has finally shown what he can offer Eun-Sang in terms of a romantic partner. Hatred and spite toward fellow human beings. That probably doesn't sound like a good thing- but the argument he makes is surprisingly persuasive. Eun-Sang has, for pretty much the entire series, been living in fear of constant disaster and has had to act in a placating way to try and avert it. But these attempts always fail and this episode is no exception to that rule.
As if inspired to prove Yeong-Do wrong, for example, Eun-Sang tries to head off Kim Tan's latest romantic advances by being more affectionate and kind in her rebuff this time around,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 102013/11/07,
It suddenly hit me this episode that "The Heirs" is a drama, not about ambitious young adults, but high school students. This would seem obvious, given how much of the action lately takes place at a high school. The trappings of wealth, however, consistently give the misleading impression that these characters have clearly defined goals and a coherent narrative trajectory. In reality, they're impulsive, selfish, and resentful.
Kim Tan, for example, is now explicitly trying to manipulate EunSang emotionally in very childish ways,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 92013/11/06,
I'm pretty sure "The Heirs" is trying to make some sort of statement about traditional masculine gender roles in a courtship context, but I'll be darned if I have any idea what. The imagery this time around is too inescapable. This episode Eun-Sang receives come-ons, not just from leading men Kim Tan and Yeong-Do, but extras. And there's a strong frustration underscoring her reactions to these events that emphasizes the importance of diplomacy in her responses- she'll only go as far as she can without risking damage to her long-term prospects.
What makes this especially nuanced and difficult is that it's explicitly confirmed this episode that she does like Kim Tan,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 82013/10/31,
Up until now I wasn't completely convinced that Yeong-Do's intentions toward Eun-Sang were romantic ones. This episode lays that doubt to rest, but not in the way I was expecting. It's extremely clear that Yeong-Do's aggressive cornering behavior bares a lot of similarity to when Kim Tan does the exact same thing, and Kim Tan's motives have never been in doubt. Especially since he helpfully engages in similar behavior this time around,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 72013/10/30,
The adults in this drama are pretty easy to spook. On multiple occasions in the Kim household we see characters panic just because some unfamiliar person shows up. Never mind that in both cases, the unfamiliar person has every possible reason to be in the house. It says quite a bit about their quilty consciences that even in their own extremely safe homes they panic at the thought of the unexpected happening.
This takes on depressing dimensions when taken in the context of Kim Won. Kim Tan wants to reconcile with his big brother so badly it hurts- I'm impressed at the little bro's tenacity,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 62013/10/24,
Now that Kim Tan and Yeong-Do have finally met, and presumably we're going to get into an actual plotline instead of just metaphors, it occurs to me that the narrative structure of "The Heirs" isn't particularly strong. I'm not totally sure what any of these characters want, how they're going to get it, and what, to them, will constitute a happy ending. The drama being difficult to predict is normally a high point, but there needs to be some sort of baseline,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 52013/10/23,
This drama has a really weird take on romance that I'm still not totally sure how to compartmentalize. Multiple new romantic subplots manage to pop out of nowhere, and we even get a moment to remember that, hey, technically, the parents of the two crabbiest heirs are in a romantic subplot, too. It's just not something that comes up that much because for the most part this drama is, appropriately enough, about "The Heirs",...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 42013/10/17,
It turns out that, almost as soon as she gets back to Korea, Eun-Sang discovers that her life is once again ruined thanks to money. At this point it seems like Eun-Sang getting put through the ringer on this should be getting tiring- but I find it works really well with the overall theme of the drama being the impossibility of escape. Having to live in the house and be an apprentice maid is the ultimate indignity for Eun-Sang. Fortunately, it's also literally the ultimate indignity, as once she's adjusted the bad stuff finally stops happening,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 32013/10/16,
Ah, the American road trip. A long, boring drive into the middle of nowhere that quickly loses its novelty. Meeting up with people who probably don't actually want to see you. That empty feeling inside realizing an entire day was wasted on a pointless sentimental gesture. Vast open space of poorly maintained roads, easy accidents, and no cell phone reception to call for help. Truly a feature of the culture worth idolizing.
I have no idea how much of the metaphors "The Heirs" is using are intentional, but I'm just plain astonished at how striking they are. This entire episode is a wake-up call to Kim Tan that he is not, in fact, as cool as he thinks he is,...More

[HanCinema's Column] Kdrama Kiss Types - Part 12013/10/12,
When "Secret Garden" aired, the coffee shop peck was an instant hit. The 'Foam Kiss' was quickly copied by citizens and celebrities alike, mostly in the form of parody, but still highlighting the obsession over kiss types in Korean drama. From the 'Cola Kiss' in "Lie to Me" to the 'Candy Kiss' in "IRIS", themed kisses are everywhere.
But as any foreign fan of Korean dramas coming from a very different culture knows, it's often the odd and awkward way in which kisses are portrayed that gets us. Whatever the reasons behind their form, they are certainly interesting to watch. So let us take a little lighthearted look at all these whacky ways of performing kisses that are as frustrating as they are entertaining,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 22013/10/10,
Eun-Sang (played by Park Shin-hye) sticks out in this drama as being the token teenager of a lower economic class. Kim Tan spends a lot of time deliberately needling her about her various peculiar attitudes, and this is all played for laughs. It's obvious to us, the audience, that this is a romantic drama where these two are supposed to get together, so it's funny. But "The Heirs" takes the bold, discomforting step of showing us why Eun-Sang's excessively non-confrontational attitude is probably the correct one.
There's even a line here that explicitly spells it out, when Eun-Sang mentions she wants this trip to have at least one (rather pitiful) positive memory. Kim Tan doesn't get this at all- he's been having lots of fun,...More

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Heirs" Episode 12013/10/09,
This drama starts out highlighting a rather ambivalent attitude toward the United States. On the the one hand, this is the country of awesome surfing, gorgeous scenery, and a crazy party atmosphere. On the other hand, the very name America appears to be synonymous with exploitative interaction between the sexes for ill-advised financial reasons. And this appears to be true for both the richer and poorer members of the cast.
I was not expecting "The Heirs" to take such an ambivalent attitude to Korean-American cultural interactions. But I have to admit- I'm really enjoying the creative direction. Cha Eun-Seok (played by Yoon Jin-seo) has a very interesting role here as the older sister who escapes conservative Korean society,...More

Park Shin-hye in the desert2013/09/26, Source, Park Shin-hye plays the role of Cha Eun-sang, a hard working girl in a reality of poverty in the new SBS drama "The Heirs" which is to be aired for the first time on the 9th of October.
Park Shin-hye was seen filming for this drama in a desert in LA on the 10th. The pictures of her are so perfect she doesn't even need editing or brushing up,...More

Park Shin-hye's beauty even when she is…2013/09/25, Source,
Pictures of the actress named Park Shin-hye were posted online showing her repeatedly practicing her lines before going into shoot.
Her sincerity towards her script turned out to be the promotional advertisement, making set for banning forged goods,...More

Ji Seong VS Kwon Sang-woo VS Lee Min-ho2013/09/25, Source,
A new battle has begun between the three broadcasting companies now that Chuseok is over. Fierce new dramas take over Wednesday and Thursday nights with different genres.
The first drama to be mentioned is the KBs 2TV drama "Secrets".
"Secrets" was pre-sold to Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and other Asian countries even before it was shown in Korea and it tells the story of a man who falls in love with the woman who kills his lover,...More